Why is did my hen suddenly become mean

[Firsttimehens1234]

I have a 1 year old hen who in the last week mabye has been acting mean, first she started buffing up her whole body when she saw the chickens that we keep in another pen, she has never noticed them before.
I thought that was okay normal since she might just wanted to let them know that she is the boss.

If we fast forward she has now started to buff up over anything,when she is laying in the nesting box,when I come into the coop or when she sees another chicken.
When she puffs up she also growls, I have also noticed that she does that sound when I have food.

She is almost at the top of the pecking order, the rooster is on top and then her and her bff share the second spot, she has also always been kinda mean towards new hens but this is another level of mean
She isn’t pecking or attacking just buffing herself up and growling.
Why is she like that now?

 

[Lor]

Is it possible that she is going broody? I have an orpington that puffs all up and makes clucking sounds when she is broody.

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

Is it possible that she is going broody? I have an orpington that puffs all up and makes clucking sounds when she is broody.

I have been thinking that too,she does still lay eggs but I have some fake eggs in the nests and she really likes to sit on those for a couple of hours every day
Hope she is going broody so she will stop being so mean

 

[Lor]

I'm trying to break mine from being broody. We don't have a rooster so it's just an annoyance.

 

[Perris]

I have been thinking that too,she does still lay eggs but I have some fake eggs in the nests and she really likes to sit on those for a couple of hours every day
Hope she is going broody so she will stop being so mean

another sign of broodiness, besides inflating herself like a baseball when out and about, and growling, is her flattening her body when on the nest, sometimes described as being like a pancake.

If she is going broody, it won't stop her being mean, it will just explain it, and indicate that it's just a passing phase, not a permanent change of temperament.

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

Chickens are also very territorial and will naturally be aggressive towards new birds. So having the new birds around, plus maybe going broody (though sitting a couple hours a day doesn't necessarily mean broody) would both be normal reasons for her grumpiness.

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

another sign of broodiness, besides inflating herself like a baseball when out and about, and growling, is her flattening her body when on the nest, sometimes described as being like a pancake.

If she is going broody, it won't stop her being mean, it will just explain it, and indicate that it's just a passing phase, not a permanent change of temperament.

I know that broody hens can be mean, I meant that if she turns out to be broody she could hatch out eggs and hopefully become nice after she is done being broody
When she layes on the fake eggs she is flat and hard as a rock, sheaves in the nest for a couple fo hours and then layes her egg

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

Chickens are also very territorial and will naturally be aggressive towards new birds. So having the new birds around, plus maybe going broody (though sitting a couple hours a day doesn't necessarily mean broody) would both be normal reasons for her grumpiness.

Thank you for the answer, the other chickens have been around 6 feet away from them and living in another enclosure since April but it’s just now that she is starting to notice them, she is also very mean to new hens and will peck them every chance she has. So I hope she might be going broody soon

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

I managed to get this video of her saying her sound, she does this when I have food,other hens annoy her or when she is laying in her nesting box

View media item 7956381

 

[rosemarythyme]

I managed to get this video of her saying her sound, she does this when I have food,other hens annoy her or when she is laying in her nesting box

That's just an angry sound, not a broody sound. Do you ever hear her making a repeated ticking sound? That'd be a typical broody noise.